Interchangeable type carrier



Dec. 4, 1951 J ZENNER 2,577,064

INTERCHANGEABLE TYPE CARRIER Filed Oct. 7, 1950 INVENTOR WALTER J. ZENNER ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 4, 1951 INTERCHANGEABLE TYPE CARRIER Walter J. Zenner, Des Plaines, Ill., assignor to Chicago, 111., a corpora- Teletype Corporation tion of Delaware Application October 7, 1950, Serial No. 188,907

' 3 Claims. 1 This invention pertains to printing telegraph apparatus and more particularly to telegraph printers in which the characters are printed from type elements carried in a coordinately positionable and selectively arrestable type carrier.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a type carrier which is readily removable and interchangeable.

Another object of the invention is to provide facilities in a telegraph printer for printing in various type fonts or styles by rendering the type carriers readily detachable and interchangeable.

The foregoin and other objects and features of the present invention will be readily understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the type carrier arrangement according to the invention with the type carrier clamped into position;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the type carrier in a partially removed position;

I Fig. 3 is a top view of the type carrier according to the invention;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

In the embodiment of the invention to be described hereinafter, the details of the printing telegraph apparatus which co-operate with the apparatus of the present invention but which do not constitute a part of the combination comprising the invention have not been shown in the drawin and will not be described herein since they are shown and described in great detail in the U. S. Patent No. 2,505,729 issued to W. J. Zenner on April 25, 1950, and are not essential to an understanding of the present invention.

Referring to the drawing, wherein like reference characters designate the same parts throughout the several views, the type box or carrier I0, which may be of any suitable construction but preferably is similar to the type carrier shown in detail in Figs. 44, 45, and 46, of said U. S. Patent No. 2,505,729, comprises a hollow box-like structure having aligned apertures in the front and rear faces thereof into which are slidably supported the type elements II. A coiled compression spring I2 having one end secured to the shank of the type element encircles each type element II and functions to hold the type element in the retracted position (as shown in Fig. 3). The type carrier I is provided with flanges I3 and I4 through the medium of which the type carrier ID, by cooperating with the appropriate instrumentalities on the traveling carriage I of the printer apparatus, is rendered removably mountable on said carriage I5.

carriage I5 on the stud shaft 2|.

Similar to the disclosure in Patent No. 2,505,- 729, the carriage I5 (which is comparable to carriage 158 of said patent) is provided with a pair of upper rollers I6 and a lower roller I'I adapted to ride on the upper and lower edges of a track member I8 (similar to track member 163 of said patent). The movement of the carriage I5 for character spacing is achieved in a manner disclosed in said Patent No. 2,505,729.

The flanges I3 and I4 are fashioned or conformed to permit the type box IE] to achieve ready mountability and detachability relative to the carriage I5. Flanges I3 and I4 are adapted to be supported on the bearing portions I9 of the stud shafts 20 and BI on which the rollers !6 are rotatably mounted. Thus, flange It is provided with an open-ended slot adapted to ride onto and pivot on the portion I9 of stud shaft 2|. To facilitate the positionment of flange I4 onto the bearing portion I 8, a flare 22 is provided which terminates in a bearing surface 23. Confronting the bearing surface 23 is the bearing surface 24. Surface 23 terminates in the downwardly bowed portion 25 of flange I4. The distance between surfaces 23 and 24 is preferably slightly less than the diameter of the portion I9 embraced therebetween so that the portion I9 is adapted to be snugly gripped between the confronting surfaces 23 and 24 due to the resilience inherent in the bowed portion 25. In this manner, the carrier l0, through its flange I4, becomes pivotally articulated to the Also secured to flange I4 is a stud 2B which is adapted to rest into a depression 2'! in the carriage I5, when the carrier I0 is swung counterclockwise into its home position to thereafter prevent lateral movement of the carrier I0.

Flange I3 is fashioned differently than flange I4 in that flange I3 is adapted to cooperate with a clamping device 3| hereinafter described, which is effective to tightly hold the type carrier ID in its home position on carriage I5. To achieve this result, flange I3 is conformed with a downwardly facing hook portion 28 adapted to straddle the bearing portion IQ of stud 20. Above the hook portion 28 and aligned therewith substantially on the vertical center line thereof is an inverted hook portion 29 of smaller dimension adapted to cooperate with the clamp 3!. Secured to flange I3 is a stud 32 having a journal portion 33 adapted to rest on the curved shoulder portion 34 in the carriage I5, when the carrier I9 is swung counterclockwise into its home position to laterally position the carrier l0. Stud 32 is also provided with an extension 35 to permit gripping thereof by the fingers to facilitate removal of the carrier i0.

Clamp 3| comprises a lever 30 which is mounted pivotally on a stud 36 secured to the carriage I5 and located below the stud shaft 20 and in vertical alignment therewith. Thus, when the carrier I!) has been rotated counterclockwise about stud shaft 2| to its home position on carriage l5, as shown in Fig. 1, the pivot 36, stud shaft 26 and inverted hook portion 29 are substantially in vertical alignment. Lever 30 is bowed with the center of curvature thereof preferably, but not necessarily, coinciding substantially with the center of stud shaft 20.

At the free extremity 3'! of lever 38 is pivotally carried a toggle lever 33, the depending arm 39 of which is adapted to cooperate with the inverted hook portion 29 of the flange I3 to effectuate the clamping or pinching action. In the clamped position shown in Fig. l,the extremity 3? is positioned to the right of the vertical center line embracing pivot 36, stud 20 and portion 23.

The arm 39 of toggle lever 38 is of such length that when the longitudinal axis of lever 38 coincides with the vertical line embracing pivot 36, stud 20'and hook portion 29, the extremities of the bowed portion of clamp 3| (exemplified by pivots 36 and 37) are spread apart due to the toggle action, thus introducing stresses of resiliency or elasticity in the lever 30. The stresses built up in this toggling movement of toggle lever 38 are still effective in the position shown in Fig. 1, so that the carrier I is thus securely clamped in home position on the carriage l5 by the pinching action of lever 36.

The type carrier is provided with a depending tab portion M located substantially centrally on the bottom surface of the type carrier. Attached to the carriage by screws 42 is a ribbon guide member 43, wherein the ribbon guide combs or forks are not shown, since such guide combs are not a part of the invention. The guide 43 is cut away at 44, and the intermediate portion 45 is pressed out to form a clamping space between the portion 45 and the wall of the carriage [5. Thus, the inherent resilience of the metal forming the guide 43 being depended upon to press the tab 4| against the wall of carriage l5.

To mount the carrier Ill on carriage [5, the carrier I!) is manipulated to introduce the open ended notch 23-44 under the direction of flare 22 onto the bearing E9 of stud 2|; a snug, gripping fit being attained due to the bowed portion 25. The carrier i3 is then swung counterclockwise to bring the studs 26 and 32 at rest on shoulders 2? and 34, respectively, at which time the hook portion 28 straddles the journal bearing ill of stud 20, and the tab 2'! is plugged into the clamping space 46. The bowed lever 30 is then rotated clockwise about pivot 36 by manually gripping the long arm of toggle lever 38, to bring the arm 39 into engagement with the portion 29. Independent clockwise rotation is then imparted to toggle lever 38 about pivot 31 to introduce a stress of elasticity or resiliency in the bowed portion of lever 30. The toggle lever 38 is thereafter forced over-center to the position shown in Fig. l, the lever 38 resting against the stop 4! on flange 13. In this position the bowed portion of clamp 3| has lost only an insignificant amount of the resiliency or springiness imparted to it by the toggling action just described. The carrier I0 is thus securely retained in the carriage l5 by means of a three-point mounting.

To demount the carrier Hi, the toggle lever 38 is manually rotated counterclockwise, as reviewed in Fig. 1 in a toggling manner through the vertical center line embracing portion 29, stud and pivot 36, whereupon the stresses previously set up in the bowed portion of lever 33 are dissipated.

It is understood that the above-described arrangement is simply illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a detachable and interchangeable type carrier, supportingmeans therefor comprising a pivot for said carrier and a guide means for said carrier, means on said carrier for pivotally receiving said pivot comprising an open-ended slot having confronting bearing surfaces and resilient means integral to one of said bearing surfaces for biasing one of said bearing surfaces toward the other, clamping instrumentalities, certain of said instrumentalities comprising a bowed lever pivotally mounted at one extremity thereof on said supporting means subjacent to said guide means and adapted under certain conditions of operation to span said guide means, and a manually operable toggle lever pivotally carried at the other extremity of said bowed lever adapted to cooperate with other of said instrumentalities disposed on said carrier, whereby in response to the pincers effect produced in said bowed lever by said toggle lever said carrier is securely maintained in position.

2. In combination, a detachable and interchangeable type carrier, supporting means therefor having pivoting facilities and guiding facilities for said carrier, means on said carrier cooperable with said pivoting facilities comprising an open-ended slot having confronting bearing surfaces and resilient means integral to one of said bearing surfaces for biasing one of said bearing surfaces toward the other, clamping instrumentalities, certain of said instrumentalities comprising a bowed lever pivotally mounted at one extremity thereof on said supporting means subv jacent to said guiding facilities and adapted under certain conditions of operation to span said guiding facilities, and a toggle lever pivotally carried at the other extremity of said bowed lever adapted to cooperate with other of said instrumentalities disposed on said carrier, whereby in response to the pincers effect produced in said bowed lever by said toggle lever said carrier is securely maintained in position.

3. In combination, a detachable and interchangeable type carrier, supporting means therefor having pivoting facilities and guiding facilities for said carrier, means on said carrier cooperable with said pivoting facilities, clamping instrumentalities, certain of said instrumentalities comprising a bowed lever pivotally mounted at one extremity thereof on said supporting means .subjacent to said guiding facilities and adapted under certain conditions of operation to span said guiding facilities, and a toggle lever pivotally carried at the other extremity of said bowed lever adapted to cooperate with other of said instrumentalities disposed on said carrier, whereby in response to the pincers effect produced in said bowed lever by said toggle lever said carrier is securely maintained in position.

WALTER J. ZENNER.

No references cited. 

